The present disclosure is generally related to gas detecting materials and, more particularly, to porous gallium oxide films for detecting gas.
Gas sensing devices are commonly used to detect when a specific gas is present. The detection of a gas can be necessary for a variety of reasons. For example, toxic and combustible gases can be detected as a safety measure. Gas sensing devices also can be used to detect pollutants, e.g., nitrous oxides, in various applications, such as boilers, Selective Catalytic Reduction systems, turbines, and diesel engines. Such gas sensing devices often employ semiconductive materials that are affected by the gas being detected. In particular, the detection of a specific gas can be indicated by an increase in an electrical current that that flows through the semiconductive material. This current can be induced by an electromagnetic field.
Gallium oxide is currently employed as an effective semiconductive material in gas sensing devices. The type of gallium oxide currently used in gas sensing devices is nonporous, which can be easily deposited using, for example, chemical vapor deposition. However, the sensitivity of gas sensing devices utilizing nonporous gallium oxide to particular gases such as oxygen is less than desirable. It is believed that this drawback of nonporous gallium oxide is due to its limited surface area with which the surrounding gas molecules can interact.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a method of making gallium oxide with a higher surface area for the purpose of improving its sensitivity to certain gases.